Underground forces, eradicating all injustice?
Fu Shou's words did not fully clarify things for Zhang Qiying...
Seeing her slightly bewildered expression, Fu Shou continued to explain, "For example, I've heard that Cao Pi, who was exiled to the frontier, often complains, and Cao Zhang, also exiled to the frontier, is secretly taking some actions... They are all His Majesty's own brothers! How can His Majesty take action?"
Oh...
Hearing this, Zhang Qiying understood.
"Is Que Men going to... eliminate them?"
Zhang Qiying knew that with the migration of 300,000 followers of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect into the interior, they were spread across the entire Great Wei. It was most fitting for her to carry out these underground operations.
However, Fu Shou waved her hand gently, "Not eliminate, but... control!"
"Controlling others, isn't that what the Celestial Masters' sect is best at? Has Sister heard from His Majesty that Sister Qiying has a poison? One that requires an antidote to be taken on time, otherwise... the pain would be unbearable!"
Mentioning this "poison"...
Especially since it was her husband, Cao Yu, who had told Sister Fu... Zhang Qiying's cheeks immediately flushed.
Because, back then... along with this unbearable poison was an equally "addictive" desire!
This...
Zhang Qiying raised her eyes and secretly glanced at Fu Shou. Seeing her expression unchanged, she surmised... her husband hadn't told her everything.
"Don't worry, Sister Fu, I know what to do..."
Fu Shou smiled, "You are a wise person. What His Majesty lacks most are wise individuals by his side!"
...
...
Luoyang, Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
This was the first "establishing centrality and setting up the pole" palace hall in Huaxia's history.
The palace city was situated in the north and center. Taiji Hall and the East Hall, West Hall, and eight other halls were arranged side-by-side from east to west, creating a unique "East-West Hall system."
Taiji Hall, Shigan Hall, Zhaoyang Hall, and eight major main halls were arranged longitudinally from north to south!
The design philosophy and the palace system established within it were not only unprecedented but also influenced countries like Korea and Japan!
Today, the morning court dispersed, and Yan Qi specifically kept Prime Minister Yan Qi and officials from the eight departments.
He sat on the dragon throne, his gaze piercing – as if waiting for reports from the officials of all departments.
Chen Qun from the Ministry of Personnel reported first, "The new imperial examination selection is underway. According to His Majesty's wishes, the age limit has been relaxed to seventeen, and martial examinations and artisan examinations have been added. Both will commence with the provincial examinations, followed by the metropolitan examinations and the palace examinations. The top three in each category will be personally selected by His Majesty."
While establishing civil and martial examinations, Yuan Shu also added an "artisan examination" to select those skilled in "all crafts." From setting sail in the Great Wei to the might of Wei's cavalry, everyone had seen the enhancement to the Great Wei's livelihood and combat effectiveness provided by these artisans...
Including the hot air balloon;
Including the Zhuge repeating crossbow;
Including the wooden ox and flowing horse... these were all part of the crafts.
Beyond these, the artisans also needed to bear the heavy responsibility of "science and technology"...
The steam age, the electric age...
These, although still mere concepts in Yan Qi's eyes, as long as there were enough talented individuals, and Yuan Shu could provide ideas and methods, the transition from a feudal society to the steam age... would not be a fantasy.
"Officials selected through the civil examinations in the imperial examinations can govern the country and manage politics. Officials selected through the martial examinations can lead troops and fight. Officials selected through the artisan examinations can improve production and increase productivity. They are all equally important!"
Yuan Shu declared loudly, "In addition to adding the artisan examination to the imperial examinations, workshops should also be vigorously established in the private sector to provide learning opportunities for those skilled in crafts! The Minister of Personnel must work harder on this!"
"Yes!" Chen Qun cupped his hands and stepped back.
Next to report was the Ministry of Revenue.
The Ministry of Revenue managed finances and grain, and it was the core of the Great Wei. After Cao Song and Cao Cao retired together, Liu Ye served concurrently as the Minister of Revenue...
"Throughout the empire, the head tax has been abolished. After implementing the '摊丁入亩' (division of land by households), the Great Wei's tax revenue has increased more than sevenfold compared to previous years. We are currently drafting regulations to imitate Emperor Wu of Han and reinstate commercial taxes. We will also establish workshops in localities under the name of the Great Wei court to enrich the national treasury."
Liu Ye's words flowed out.
Yuan Shu nodded... Among the many officials, Liu Ye was the one he worried about the most.
"Prime Minister, you are discussing governance strategies with me and also paying attention to the empire's finances... You have worked hard, Prime Minister."
"However, the abolition of the head tax must be maintained. Encourage the common people to have more children, and provide some subsidies accordingly. Regarding the division of land by households, supervision and monitoring must be increased to ensure the accuracy of land quantities, and care must be taken to prevent the reward for concealing land and false or hidden reporting!"
Speaking of this...
Yuan Shu suddenly thought of something. Yes—he thought of the masses in Chaoyang District.
How vast was the Great Wei?
If the court's supervision alone were relied upon, there would inevitably be omissions. Therefore, it was necessary to...
"Prime Minister Xun... In addition to this, I plan to design a special agency responsible for receiving the common people. Anyone among the people with grievances, or who reports important evidence, and whose case is not handled by local officials, can report here... and the court will make a unified judgment!"
Yuan Shu's words flowed out...
Yan Qi's eyes narrowed. He pondered for a moment, then said excitedly, "This gives the common people a place to report evil deeds. This is an excellent move!"
Yan Qi nodded, "Specific operational details will be handled by Prime Minister Xun! For example, regarding the division of land by households, if a citizen reports local gentry for concealing land, and it is verified as true... appropriate rewards can be given to the citizen! Others can also be rewarded!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Liu Ye cupped his hands...
Following this... Xu Jing, the Assistant Minister of Personnel, and Man Chong, the Assistant Minister of Justice, reported respectively.
There were no exceptions to these systemic issues...
Yuan Shu guided them one by one.
The Great Wei replaced the Han, and matters were complex. Yuan Shu could not be involved in every detail. Even with the three provinces and eight ministries, he could at most provide guidance... guiding the officials towards the correct direction.
Next was the Ministry of War...
Guan Yu and Yan Liang, Cao Xiu were representatives of the Ministry of War and the only Qiao Pei meritorious officials participating in this inner court meeting.
"Your Majesty..."
Despite Guan Yu's private address to Yan Liang as "virtuous brother," in court, he still cupped his hands and saluted with humility. "The two hundred most elite warriors selected from the Tiger Guards, Dragon Riders, Qing Province Army, Yan Province Army, and Yu Province Army, as Your Majesty ordered, have been selected... The Tiger Guards contributed seventeen people, the Dragon Riders forty, and the remaining legions, a total of eighty-seven people. These two hundred elites... Your Majesty intends to establish a new legion?"
"No! I will give them a good name, call them a Special Forces Battalion." Yuan Shu's reply was quite casual. "Lu Yu and I have signed a seven-year armistice agreement. The decisive battle against Bashu in seven years is bound to take place in Shu. The Shu roads are difficult, more difficult than climbing to the sky. Conquering Bashu relies not on the quantity of soldiers, but on their quality... I want to select the hundred most elite, train them according to my methods, and infiltrate the enemy rear in seven years. It will surely yield unexpected results!"
Special forces...
This concept Yuan Shu instilled in the Ministry of War was quite advanced.
However, in modern warfare, the role of special forces needed no further elaboration.
Just imagine...
As two armies clashed at Jiange, suddenly a force infiltrated the enemy rear and completed a "beheading" operation, capturing Lu Yu, Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, and other core command forces of Bashu.
The entire front-line battlefield would naturally become very tense.
Thinking of this...
Yuan Shu continued,
"I have also ordered Ma Chao, Lu Xun, Lu Bu, and Huang Zhong to each select their most elite soldiers. From these soldiers, I will select again. Only the final one hundred people will remain. The entire empire's resources will be mobilized to train them into the most elite special forces!"
Huo...
Yan Qi's words surprised Guan Yu, Yan Liang, and Cao Xiu...
The two hundred people they selected were not the final candidates. They still had to be selected again... and compete with those from Xiliang, Bingzhou, Jiangdong, and Jingzhou.
Finally, only one hundred people would remain...
This was no longer elite; it was the elite of the elite.
"Your Majesty..." Guan Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something...
But he didn't know what to say, and for a moment, he was speechless.
Yuan Shu saw his mood...
And smiled, "General Guan, the rear is important, but the front-line battlefield is even more important! Intensify training, which remains a crucial matter for our Great Wei! General Guan must not be negligent... Oh, yes..."
Yuan Shu turned his head to look at Xiahou Yuan from the Ministry of Works.
Currently, the main responsible person for the Ministry of Works was Xiahou Yuan. Under him, responsible for various workshops, were Zhuge Jun and the rising star Ma Jun.
"Prime Minister Liu... How are the blueprints I gave you progressing?"
Regarding workshops...
This was the Great Wei's technological tree, and Yuan Shu was particularly concerned.
Xiahou Yuan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and replied, "We are attempting to produce the firearms and artillery. Although we have not yet met Your Majesty's requirements, with Your Majesty's blueprints and that child Ma Jun, I dare to sign a military order: within a year, firearms and artillery will surely be deployed on the battlefield!"
Mentioning firearms and artillery...
One must mention "gunpowder," one of the Four Great Inventions of China!
According to the "Fan Zi Ji Ran," in the Spring and Autumn period, China already had the prototype of "gunpowder" and used it in civilian applications. "Fan Zi Ji Ran" states, "Saltpeter comes from Longdao."
In fact, gunpowder was created by a group of Daoist priests through alchemy.
A very important method in alchemy is "fire alchemy," which generally includes: calcination (long-term low-temperature heating), refining (heating wet substances), moxibustion (local baking), melting, sublimation (also called rising, which is sublimation), and transformation (heating to change the nature of a substance)!
These methods passed down in Daoist texts had already laid the groundwork for the invention of gunpowder.
And by the late Tang Dynasty, gunpowder was used militarily...
Yuan Shu wanted to advance this period.
The precise formula he provided to the Ministry of Works was the ratio of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. However, the ratio was one thing... the specific operational methods... would require trial and error.
"Develop these as soon as possible and apply them to the Wei army," Liu Yu said with a smile. "Before conquering Bashu, we can test them on the Xianbei first..."
"Yes!" Xiahou Yuan cupped his hands...
Yuan Shu conversed with the Assistant Ministers of the eight ministries. He couldn't help but highly praise the "Three Provinces and Eight Ministries System" of the Sui and Tang dynasties. This significant institutional reform had greatly streamlined the operation of the entire court.
In fact... below the eight ministries, there were seventy-two departments responsible for handling specific administrative affairs!
After discussing these matters...
Yan Qi felt relieved. The greatest advantage of the Great Wei over Bashu lay in talent.
The Great Wei controlled seventeen out of the eighteen provinces of the land. In terms of talent supply and resource accumulation... it had a significant advantage.
Just then...
"Your Majesty..."
Dian Wei rushed into the hall, holding an urgent report. His voice was rough, and every word could be clearly heard by every minister present.
"Urgent news from Bashu! Lu Yu has declared himself Emperor!"
Upon hearing this...
The hall fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, their expressions incredulous.
Bashu, a mere corner of the land? Lu Yu dares to declare himself Emperor? Where did he get such confidence?
However, Yuan Shu... after a brief moment of astonishment, he laughed.
"Hahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
His laughter was exceptionally hearty...
This made everyone confused. Lu Yu declared himself Emperor... why was His Majesty laughing?
Yuan Shu then said, "I remembered something rather interesting. Esteemed ministers, why don't you try to guess!"
How could anyone guess this?
The officials exchanged glances and all shook their heads.
Yuan Shu stood up and walked down from the dragon throne, saying with a smile, "Back then... when Father Emperor learned that Fu Shou had declared himself Emperor in Xudu City, he exclaimed, 'What day is this, what night is this?' I still remember it was the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Father Emperor then lamented, 'Are the fools and idiots of the world crawling out on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month?' Father Emperor said he had misjudged Fu Shou. He had thought Fu Shou was a hero, but he never expected him to be an utter fool, even more foolish than Father Emperor imagined. Father Emperor blamed himself... blamed himself for mistakenly thinking he was a hero!"
Upon hearing this...
"Hahaha..." The civil and military officials also burst into laughter in the Taiji Hall.
"Then, Prime Minister Xun, what day is it today?" Yuan Shu asked again...
Liu Ye replied without hesitation, "Coincidentally, today is also the seventh day of the seventh lunar month!"
"Haha..." This time, Yan Qi laughed even more heartily. "As expected, Father Emperor was right, the fools and idiots of the world crawl out on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month... However, I didn't expect that Lu Yu's childhood dream of having a jade-feathered canopy carriage would actually be realized!"
Upon hearing this...
Everyone was still filled with confusion.
Although Lu Yu declared himself Emperor, the current situation was vastly different from when Fu Shou declared himself Emperor.
Now... Lu Yu had no reason to declare himself Emperor!
If he declared himself Emperor, then his soldiers would not know who they were fighting for!
"Your Majesty..."
Liu Ye cupped his hands, "The former Emperor Wu of Wei and this Lu Yu were childhood friends, discussing the heroes of the world. He mentioned, 'Among the heroes of the world, only you and Cao are the ones.' Even if Lu Yu is not a hero, he is not necessarily foolish or incompetent. Your Majesty should still be cautious—moreover, under the seven-year armistice agreement, Lu Yu declaring himself Emperor is timely, and our army cannot attack him. This Shu Han can now welcome a period of peace!"
Yan Qi's tone was somewhat pessimistic...
But Yan Qi's expression was the opposite.
"Prime Minister Xun, have you forgotten how Xu Province fell under Tao Qian? How Lu Bu, Yan Liang, and Fu Shou fell? How Liu Biao surrendered?"
This... would have to be examined one by one.
The reason Xu Province fell back then was due to the clandestine struggles of the three major factions in Xu Province.
The Danyang faction led by Cao Bao;
The commoner faction led by Mi Zhu and Mi Fang;
The scholar faction led by Chen Deng...
And through a combination of circumstances, the Danyang faction was loyal to Lu Bu, the commoner faction defected to Yan Qi, and the scholar faction secretly contacted Cao Cao...
The seemingly peaceful, prosperous, and stable Xu Province, who would have thought that the undercurrents within it were so turbulent and surging!
Thinking of this...
Liu Ye's heart sank. He suddenly understood!
Under the seven-year armistice, Lu Yu's declaration of himself as Emperor was too leisurely, too extravagant. And often, the sharpest blades were hidden in the most extravagant places!
...
...